Pokemon Tales: A-- The Greninja Trials
by StorybookMasters
Summary: In this first book of the Pokemon Tales Series, follow Froakie as he evolves into a Greninja, making new friends along the way.
1. The Beginning

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

Froakie was hopping across the bright green lily pads, looking for a friend. He had woken up that morning to the shining sun. He was lying in a grassy meadow filled with springtime flowers, and the sky was blue and cloudless. The only problem was that Froakie had woken up all by himself. He was lonely. Froakie had immediately started looking for another Pokemon to keep him company. He had heard the soft rushing of river water, and had followed the sound to a small, bubbling stream. He finished crossing the stream, leaping off the last lily pad, and landed on dark, spongy soil. He glanced around. Froakie had entered a dark forest.

"Where am I?" Froakie wondered. Huge trees towered up around him, twisting branches exploding into leafy green canopies. Froakie hopped along a few more paces before stopping once more.

"Hello?" Froakie called into the brush. "Is anyone there?"

He heard a rustle of leaves and the snap of a branch.

Froakie sensed someone's eyes on him. He was being watched.


	2. The First Fight

**Chapter 2: The First Fight**

Froakie heard a loud growl as something leapt out from behind a bush, tackling him from behind.

Froakie whirled around, spotting a Charizard. Charizard scratched his claws across Froakie's face.

"Frrrrrooooaaaaaa…" Froakie began angrily "...kkkiiiiieeeee!" he finished, opening his mouth. A blast of water shot from his throat and knocked Charizard to the ground.

Unfortunately, the other Pokemon got back up quickly.

Charizard used Flamethrower on Froakie, red flames shooting out from his mouth. Froakie narrowly avoided being hit, and countered the attack with Frubbles of his own.

One of the white, bubbly spheres that Froakie had tossed hit the Charizard on the shoulder, knocking him down flat and pinning him to the forest ground. Froakie then used Cut, slicing the Charizard across the nose.

The Charizard lay on the ground, defeated.

"Froa-kie!" Froakie cheered in satisfaction. He hopped past the fallen Pokemon and continued deeper into the woods.

He still needed to find a friend.


	3. Evolution

**Chapter 3: Evolution**

Froakie ambled along happily. Yes, he was still alone. But, on the bright side, he had just won his first battle!

He had only walked a couple of feet away from Charizard before he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach.

"Froakie?" Froakie mumbled curiously into the empty air.

The fuzzy feeling spread throughout his body. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, so bright that Froakie was temporarily blinded.

Froakie was surrounded by pale, glowing light. He squeezed his eyes shut; it was just too bright. There were a few moments of silence. The only thing Froakie could here was a rushing sound in his ears.

Froakie opened his eyes once more.

The light was gone. He felt different, somehow; changed. He hurried over to a nearby puddle in the dirt and stared at his reflection in shock.

He was no longer a Froakie. He was now a Frogadier.


	4. Here Comes Frogadier!

**Chapter 4: Here Comes Frogadier!**

Frogadier advanced through the trees. He felt like he was invincible. He stopped suddenly, freezing in place. He heard something… it sounded like a voice.

"Pancham," he heard the voice mutter. "Pan-cham-cham, Pancham."

Frogadier turned around to see a Pancham Pokemon stumbling through a bush.

The Pancham didn't seem to realize that Frogadier was watching him. Shrugging, Frogadier decided he would follow the Pancham.

Frogadier followed the Pancham through mazes of tall, towering hedges and through muddy streams. Just when he thought the Pancham would wander right out of the woods, the Pokemon stopped.

"Pancham!" the Pancham shouted.

Frogadier glanced around, confused. The Pancham was standing in the middle of a circle of bushes, apparently talking to himself.

"Pancham," Pancham growled again. "Pan-cham-cham."

"Scrag!" another voice bellowed.

Frogadier jumped in surprise as another Pokemon emerged from the bushes. It was a Scraggy.

"Scraggy," the Scraggy hissed menacingly. It advanced towards the Pancham. The two Pokemon circled each other, preparing to attack.

Frogadier began to panic. He couldn't just let these two Pokemon fight each other!

Just when the two Pokemon were ready to pounce...

"Frogadier!" Frogadier yelled. He aimed a water pulse between the two Pokemon, knocking both of them over.

Glad that he had prevented a fight, Frogadier leapt into the trees and disappeared.


	5. One More Evolution

**Chapter 5: One More Evolution**

As Frogadier jumped into the branches of a nearby tree, he felt the tingling in his stomach once more. This time, he didn't try to fight it. Frogadier closed his eyes and let the light envelope him. When he opened his eyes, the light was gone and he knew he had evolved again. He felt stronger, better. He leapt across a few more treetops, finally landing on the ground in front of a lake. He peered into the lake to see his new reflection.

Frogadier was no more. He was now a Greninja.


	6. Two New Pals

**Chapter 6: Two New Pals**

Greninja seated himself at the side of the lake, sadly gazing into the waters. He was a Greninja now. He was strong, fast, powerful… but he was still lonely.

"Greninja," Greninja murmured quietly.

"Scrag?" he heard a Pokemon say from behind him.

"Pan-cham-cham," another Pokemon chimed in.

Greninja stood up and turned around. Behind him, the Pancham and the Scraggy from earlier were standing next to each other, smiling.

"Scraggy!" Scraggy said excitedly.

"Pancham!" Pancham yelped, nodding.

"Greninja?" Greninja asked hesitantly. Did these two Pokemon… want to be friends?

"Pancham!" Pancham nodded, seeming to read Greninja's thoughts.

Greninja beamed from ear to ear. He was no longer lonely!

With that, Greninja took a step forward towards his friends.


	7. Meeting Ash

**Chapter 7: Meeting Ash**

Greninja, Pancham, and Scraggy walked through the woods together, side by side. Greninja had never felt happier in his entire life.

A gust of wind rushed past them. Greninja frowned. He could see dark particles being swept through the air by the breeze.

A few of the particles landed on Pancham's nose, and he sneezed. When the wind stopped, the strange particles settled on the ground around the three friends.

Greninja poked at the particles coating the grass.

Scraggy sniffed the specks and made a face. Suddenly, the particles on the ground began to stir, even though the air hadn't moved at all. The grayish-black dots gathered themselves up into a cloud in the air. The dark cloud in the air arranged itself into the hazy silhouette of a boy, floating two inches above the ground. The three Pokemon stared at the cloud in wonder.

Then, the cloud spoke!

"Hello," the cloud said in a voice that sounded as if a million people were speaking at once.

Greninja tilted his head to the side curiously. What _was_ this thing?

"I am Ash," said the cloud. It laughed softly. "As you can see, I am made up of ash particles."

"Pancham," Pancham said with a nod.

"Wonderful to meet you too, Pancham," said Ash. "You too, Scraggy." The ash cloud turned its head to look at Scraggy. Finally, Ash looked at Greninja.

"Hello, Greninja," said Ash.

The cloud boy's shoulders drooped.

"I am very lonely," it said. "Everyone is always afraid of me. Nobody wants to be my friend."

Greninja stared at the ground. He knew exactly how Ash felt.

"Ninja," Greninja said, extending his hand.

Ash looked up. "You'll be my friend?" he asked hopefully.

"Greninja!" Greninja confirmed.

Pancham and Scraggy nodded eagerly.

Ash seemed to perk up. "I have three new friends!"

And with that, the newfound friends continued through the forest, searching for more adventures.


	8. The Disappearance

**Chapter 8: The** **Disappearance**

With his newly-made friends, Greninja continued through the forest. When the group came across a stream, they decided to stop for a bit and rest. Greninja walked into the stream and rested on the warm rocks poking out of the rushing water, soon falling asleep. That was when the current was strongest. It swept Greninja into the stream! Swish!

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed, looking around. "Where did Greninja go?"

"Pancham!" Pancham agreed in concern.

"Scrag…" Scraggy said, worried.

"Greninja!" Ash called loudly. "Greninja!"

He glanced at the two Pokemon beside him. "Where could he have gone?"

"Scraggy!" Scraggy shouted suddenly. "Scrag! Scrag!"

He leapt up and down and began dashing towards the stream. Pancham hurried after him, and Ash drifted behind them.

"Oh no!" Ash cried when he saw what Scraggy had been looking at. "Greninja!"

Greninja was floating down the stream, carried by the current. He was still peacefully sleeping, and he seemed to be fine… for now.

Ash gasped. Greninja was being carried straight towards a large, black, spiked rock jutting out from the middle of the stream.

He was going to crash!


	9. The Ghost

**Chapter 9: The Ghost**

"NO!" Ash screamed, but it was too late. Greninja collided with the rock, head-first. There was a sickening crack. Then Greninja's body slowly sank beneath the surface.

"GRENINJA!" Ash yelled in despair. He swept towards the water, Pancham and Scraggy following close behind.

"Greninja," Ash whispered, sorrow in his voice. A sob tore out of his throat as he thought of his friend, lost somewhere on the river bottom.

"Pancham," Pancham cried, tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Scraggy!" Scraggy bellowed angrily, tilting his head towards the sky. "Scrag…"

Scraggy's anger seemed to fade as he, too, began to cry.

Suddenly, a strange movement caught Ash's eye.

"Guys," Ash said slowly, pointing one blurry finger at the river's surface. "What's that?"

Scraggy and Pancham followed Ash's gaze. The spot of water where Greninja had disappeared was bubbling and foaming.

Ash gasped as a pale figure rose out of the river. The figure was such a pale, misty blue it seemed transparent. He could barely see it, and, in fact, he could see the landscape through the figure's body.

The thing floated forwards, passing through the sharp river rocks without even flinching. It stopped right in front of the three friends.

"No way…" Ash breathed. "Greninja?"

The spirit of their lost friend nodded.

"You're… alive?" Ash asked, confused.

The spirit shook its head.

"Are you… Greninja's ghost?" Ash tried.

The spirit nodded once more. However, before Ash could say anything, a strong gust of wind whisked the spirit away and began to drag it farther away from the three friends.

"After that spirit!" Ash shouted. Pancham and Scraggy raced by his side as the wind carried Greninja's spirit towards the end of the river. A rushing noise reached Ash's ears.

"Pancham!" Pancham yelled in alarm.

The wind had carried the spirit to a huge, tumbling waterfall. Pancham, Scraggy, and Ash watched as Greninja's spirit was hurled into the misty falls, disappearing into the rainbows of light that were being cast by the droplets.

"He's gone," Ash realized. "He's really gone."


	10. The Re-Animation

**Chapter 10: The Re-animation**

Greninja's spirit slowly sank beneath the waterfall, being pushed deeper and deeper by the current. He landed gently on the river floor in the middle of a ring of underwater geysers.

All at once, the geysers shot streams of water at Greninja's spirit. The spirit's arms curled in on themselves, and, slowly, color began to return to his transparent body. He started to change, little by little, back into himself.

Greninja opened his eyes. Where was he? Water rushed all around him. Then it all came back to him. In a panic, he started to swim towards the surface.

Greninja's head finally broke the surface of the water.

"Ninja!" he exclaimed worriedly. Where were his friends?

He bobbed up and down in the river, studying his surroundings. Directly in front of him was a humongous waterfall. He glanced upwards.

At the top of the waterfall, he could see three small figures, huddled together.

"Greninja!" Greninja bellowed, trying to catch the attention of his friends. He waved his arms. "Ninja!"

However, Ash, Pancham, and Scraggy gave no sign that they heard him.

Greninja frowned in determination. Concentrating hard, he blasted a water shuriken directly upwards.

"Hey!" he faintly heard Ash's voice shout. "It's Greninja's water shuriken!"

"Pan-cham-cham!" Pancham seemed to agree.

"Hold on, Greninja!" Ash yelled. "I'm coming!"

Greninja watched as a collection of ash particles swept down the waterfall. The particles reorganized themselves in front of Greninja, and Ash materialized. Greninja beamed at his friend, taking a deep breath of fresh, cool air. But it was too much for Ash. In a rush, Ash's particles were sucked into Greninja's mouth.


	11. The Combination

**Chapter 11: The Combination**

 _Boom!_

A sudden light glowed around Greninja and he began to change. Tendrils of smoke and ash cloaked his skin. He began to float, rising in the air. Greninja closed his eyes tightly. He had never been so high above the ground before.

He finally stopped flying higher when he had reached the top of the waterfall. He fell to the ground, right in front of Pancham and Scraggy.

His Pokemon friends stared at him.

"What's happening to me?" Greninja cried.

All three Pokemon gasped. Greninja could talk… and he was speaking in Ash's voice.

"Pancham?" Pancham asked softly.

"Yeah," said Greninja, once again in Ash's voice. "It's Ash. Except… I'm Greninja."

"Scrag…" Scraggy's voice trailed off.

"I feel… different," said Ash/Greninja. "I feel… strong."

He tilted his head upwards and aimed a water shuriken into the sky. The blast of water that flew out of his mouth was so powerful it nearly knocked him back down.

"I must've gotten sucked into Greninja's body when he breathed in," said Ash/Greninja.

"Cham-cham?" came Pancham's voice.

"Yes…" Ash said slowly. "I'm still Greninja. But I'm also Ash, at the same time."

"Scraggy," Scraggy said excitedly.

Ash/Greninja grinned. "You're right, Scraggy. I wonder if I have any other cool abilities."

Ash/Greninja leapt into the air. He seemed to shoot into the sky like a rocket. In amazement, the Pokemon boy watched as his head skimmed the tips of the clouds.

He landed firmly on the ground, dust and ash swirling at his feet.

"Pan-cham-cham!" Pancham praised.

"Scraggy!" Scraggy agreed.

"Thanks, guys," Ash/Greninja said with a grin.

"Scrag?" Scraggy blurted suddenly.

Ash/Greninja looked thoughtful. "Call me Ash," he decided. "I might be in Greninja's body, but we are one person now. We are Ash."


	12. The Kidnappping

**Chapter 12: The Kidnapping**

Ash and his friends continued through the forest. The air had gotten chillier, and dark clouds blocked out the sun.

"We need to find shelter," Ash decided. "We've been travelling through these woods all day, and it looks like it's going to rain."

At these words, thunder boomed loudly overhead. Buckets of rain began to fall, pattering rapidly over the forest ground.

"Great," Ash muttered, thoroughly soaked. He sighed. "At least I'm a water-type Pokemon."

"Scraggy," Scraggy groaned.

"Cham-cham," Pancham seemed to agree.

"I know, I know," Ash assured them. "You two aren't water-types. Come on, let's find a cave or something to take shelter in. We'll wait for the storm to end before we keep walking."

There was a flash of lightning, and another boom of thunder. Ash felt his skin prickle. He squinted down at his arm, frowning. Tiny blue sparks danced up and down his fingertips.

"This is weird," Ash announced. "It's like… it's like I'm attracting the lightning."

Just then, a fork of lightning flashed… and hit Ash squarely on the head.

He let out a cry of pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Pancham!" Pancham shouted.

"Scraggy!" Scraggy bellowed.

Ash looked around helplessly. Red spots clouded his vision. The last thing he saw were two hazy figures running towards him- two _human_ figures.

They put a sack over his head. He could hear Pancham and Scraggy's muffled protests.

And then the world went black.

 **END OF BOOK 1**


End file.
